By Railfan & Railroad Staff
ALNA, Maine — A Maine museum building a brand new 2-foot gauge steam locomotive got a big financial boost in August when an anonymous donor gave it $50,000 for the project. The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Alna is trying to build a brand new 2-4-4T locomotive that will be given the number 11. The museum also received $10,000 from the Bluewater Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, which is in the process of disbanding.
The museum currently has two steam locomotives: WW&F 0-4-4T 9 and 0-4-4T 10. Locomotive 9 worked for three different Maine 2-footers — the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes, Kennebec Central and WW&F — whereas 10 was originally built as a 30-inch gauge locomotive for a Louisiana sugar plantation. Locomotive 10 is currently being rebuilt after the group discovered it would need a new boiler. However, locomotive 10 is smaller than 9 and the museum would like to have two locomotives that can handle larger trains on its line north of Wiscasset.
A few years ago, members began to hatch a plan to build locomotive 11, which would be a replica of WW&F 7 that was scrapped back in the 1930s. A number of parts have already been built, including wheels. The group has about $42,000 set aside for the project, not counting the two large donations in August. The locomotive is expected to cost $250,000 to build. If everything goes according to plan, the locomotive will be under steam in 2025. For more information and to learn how to donate, visit build11.wwfry.org.